Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to roof racks, and more particularly to clamping devices used to hold items to roof racks.
Related Art
Vehicle roof racks are more prevalent today than ever. Many vehicles have factory-installed roof racks on their base models. Vehicle owners have tremendous numbers of options for different types of roof racks and various accessories that clamp on or are otherwise affixed to the roof racks. However, current roof rack systems are restrictive in what they can carry, components are challenging to put on and take off, and roof rack accessories are expensive. In addition, roof racks differ widely from vehicle to vehicle, and manufacturer to manufacturer which results in a wide array of components and options that make it difficult for the consumer, and an inventory and logistics challenge for distributors and retailers. Accordingly, there remains a need for a simpler roof rack clamping system that is more economical, provides versatility and is easier to use than the currently available accessories.
Roof racks systems contain roof rails, crossbars, and the accessories that are used to hold items to the roof racks. The roof rack side rails are positioned parallel to the sides of the vehicle, while the crossbars are positioned transverse between the side rails across the vehicle (from side-to-side). Roof rails attach to the vehicle in a variety of ways and the crossbars connect to these roof rails. Some vehicles and systems eliminate the roof rails and have the crossbars mounted directly to the vehicle roof. The roof rack accessories connect to the crossbars by a variety of methods, and typically include a clamp with jaws on opposite sides of the crossbar (top to bottom or front to back), one end which may be permanently closed (such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,186) or could be used to adjust the distance between the top side and bottom side for crossbars having different thicknesses (such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,407), and another end which has a closure and adjustment mechanism.
Current roof rack clamping systems use different types of closure and adjustment mechanisms; many of the clamping devices having a threaded bolt connector that close and lock the jaws of the clamp, and other clamping devices use a buckle or strap. To adjust the tightness of the jaws and lock the closure in place, most clamping systems may use a device that is permanently connected to the clamp, such as a ratchet, a lever, a wing nut or nut with a knob, and some require the use of a separate tool such as a wrench to tighten a standard nut. In most designs, the clamping jaws fit around the front and back end of the crossbar (such as disclosed in the '186 and '407 Patents); in some other designs, the jaws fit around the front and back end of the crossbar rather than clamping around the top and bottom, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,496,145, and in at least one design, the jaws fit around the side rail, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,116. In yet another alternative design, a clamping device may have a strap and ratchet in which the strap actually serves both the role of one jaw of the clamp and the role of the closure mechanism, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,279.
The clamping systems connect the accessories to the roof racks, and the accessories hold the items being transported such as bikes, skis, canoes, kayaks, roof boxes, and cargo bins. Accordingly, the clamping devices have attachment mechanisms to which the accessories are connected. In many current roof racks, the accessories are limited to mostly function for one particular type of sports equipment (carry bikes, canoes, skis, or some other type of sports equipment) but not all types of sports equipment or function to hold cargo carriers on the roof rack which results in additional expense when different types of equipment need to be carried. In many instances, the accessory has an equipment-specific connector, such as a skewer for securing bicycle forks or straps for securing a bicycle tire (as disclosed in the '407 Patent), or the accessory may have a universal connector that could be used to hold different accessory parts for various types of cargo. Universal connectors can be a threaded bolt, such as disclosed in the '186 Patent, or by some other type of mount, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,322,279 and 7,357,283.
Most current clamping systems do not offer accessories for transporting large items that do not fit in the cargo carriers, and the accessories that are used to hold sports equipment are not suitable for large items such as lumber, piping, conduit, ladders, rugs, Christmas trees, etc. Even in those roof racks which have universal connectors and which may be used for oversized items, the accessories are often hard to attach and remove from the roof rack, resulting in most users leaving the components on the roof rack even when not in use. Currently known designs with a universal roof rack clamp which can be used for sports equipment, cargo carriers or oversized items are difficult to use, take significant time to install and remove, require two hands to operate, and/or are insecure. None of the prior art clamps have an elongated handgrip and a trigger handle that extend in the same direction to allow for single-handed installation of the clamp on the roof rack's crossbar and to provide for an actuated clamping mechanism. It would be beneficial to have a roof rack clamp that can be installed onto the roof rack with a single hand. It would be an additional benefit to have a roof rack clamp with an elongated handgrip and a trigger handle to provide a mechanical advantage for an actuated clamping mechanism.